5 Times Merlin Was Too Late & the 1 Time He Wasn't
by truthinaims
Summary: Merlin was born into every generation, knowing his role in history and that his quest was to find his king and restore Camelot. How long can he hold onto the hope that he will be reunited with Arthur when everything seems to be against them? Twoshot.
1. Five Times Merlin Was Too Late

**Author's Note: **This was going to be a one shot but the second part has gotten longer than I thought so I thought I'd get the first part (the five times he was too late) up and upload the second part (the one time he wasn't) when I finish it (later tonight or tomorrow). This is definitely an angsty Merlin POV, the second chapter will be happier but ye be warned about this part.

**Spoilers: **Very little specifically from the series itself, definitely no episode specific spoilers

**Disclaimer:** Not mine!

**Five Times Merlin Was Too Late...**

Merlin was aware in every incarnation. It was the one boon the residents of Avalon had allowed him when he struck his deal. Numb with grief and weary from the effort of escorting the dead royal from the battlefield where he had fallen at Mordred's hand to the mystical lake deep in the woods, the warlock had desperately grasped at the chance they gave him. They said that it might never happen, even they could not control such things, however they could ensure the king would continue to be reborn until the end of time.

Merlin would be given the gift of knowledge, he would know who he was and what his purpose was in every new life. His magic would still flow through his veins and help him on his quest to reunite with his master, but he was warned that time would alter his gift. No matter how powerful the people of Avalon were, they could not make it so the king was also aware. Merlin knowing his past was dangerous enough that more shifts in the timeline would inevitably cause certain disaster. There was hope, the Bear could awaken to who he was, Merlin's presence would allow the king to regain his memories and become the great leader once again. His awakening would set in motion the return of Camelot in whatever incarnation was possible in the future world.

This was the hope that kept Merlin going, even through near misses and tragedy. The knowledge that it was up to him to restore his beloved kingdom burned, knowing that out there somewhere was his king unaware and unprotected.

He refused to recall the last words of the people of Avalon. They had told him he was always welcome in the mystical land, that if he tired of his quest, if he lost hope, he could return to Avalon and they would allow him to slip into eternal peace. It was tempting sometimes, the thought that he would never have to awaken again, but he could not be separated from his king forever and so he would continue on for as long as necessary.

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

_The first time he came close to Arthur was barely fifty years after the King's first death. It seems that while Avalon's promise of the king's rebirth was true, not every generation had someone worthy of the royal, so Merlin was forced to wait until he felt that pull that told him the king was once again in the world. He felt it faintly four and a half decades after the most painful moment of his life, and just before he had given up hope that the people of Avalon had been able to keep their promise. It was a small glow in the back of his mind, like banked embers there was little light but the warlock felt it. _

_He followed that feeling all over the now broken lands of Albion, shattered soon after Camelot had fallen. It was five years before Merlin found the source of the fire in his head. As he grew closer the flames of the connection grew until he could almost hear the roaring in his head. It was strongest in a little village, so like his own Ealdor his heart twinged. He entered the outskirts midday, a strange old man in a worn cloak, ratty neckerchief still present around his neck. He looked around, at faces worn with hunger and the oppressive hands of the warlords who had taken over parts of the former golden kingdom. There was sadness in their eyes, but hope still lingered. The people of this village had not been broken yet, and the warlock wondered if that was why his search had led him here. It was only minutes after approaching the village that he saw the child. He knew instantly that it was Arthur, the golden hair and light blue eyes were just a little off color and it was a child of barely five years, but Merlin saw the king he had once been shining out of the babe. Tears filled the old man's eyes, he would not be forced to traverse the world forever in search of his king, reunited within his lifetime he would not even need the promise of reincarnation that Avalon had given to him. Taking a moment to observe the happy child Merlin considered his approach. Obviously the child's parents would not simply hand their offspring off to a doddering old man. He had no idea how to convince them but even if he had to live in this out of the way village, he would not leave the child, not now that he knew who was behind the grey-blue eyes. _

_The planning distracted Merlin and he missed the shouts of horror as men on horseback rode into the village square. They had marks on their face, bastardizations of the peaceful Druid's tattoos and the warlock looked on frozen in horror as the lead rider pulled back his hood. His hair was now grey but his eyes the same icy blue that had frightened Merlin, even when their owner was a mere boy. Mordred lived, having escaped the battle in the confusion following his mortal blow to Arthur. Merlin stuck out his hand, to protect the boy or kill the sorcerer he was not sure. _

_But he was too late, Mordred struck down the now crying child without uttering a sound, and then he turned in the stunned warlock's direction. Merlin heard the spell as he conjured it, could have stopped it easily but he was frozen in grief. He had let Arthur down, again. Had let him be killed before he even had a chance to know himself, to know who he truly was. Tears fell from the warlock's eyes as he fell to the ground, struck by Mordred's spell. His dying breath was a plea to Avalon to respect their bargain even through his failure. His last thought a promise to his king to find him again, as long as it took, he would reunite them and bring back Camelot._

_\\\\\\\\\\\\\_

Merlin grieved anew at the memory of his first failure. It was always harder when Arthur was a child. He wondered if that was why the magic started to draw him to the king later in the unaware royal's life. There were a few times he saw Arthur as a babe, but they became few and far between. It was harder to find the king in his childhood as time went on. Especially in the centuries after his first death when magic still held the land. In those times the cult of Mordred flourished in the devastation of a broken land. Hate and anger fed the cause and Merlin spent too much time fleeing for his life and missing his chance to find the king. It was hard to live like that, constantly on the run. Merlin began creating magical caches all over the land, in forests and caves, protected from discovery and filled with supplies and money, they insured that he would not need to waste time looking for provisions or employment when his days were meant to be spent looking for his king. It was harder still to discover he had just missed the king's death, but the worst was when he was forced to witness it, helpless to intervene once again.

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

_These times were more difficult for Merlin than ever. The church was on a bloody rampage against heretics, fueled by an even bloodier queen. Her hate for those who opposed the church was on par with Uther's hatred of magic, and just as unreasonable as her father had been the one to open the chasm between the churches. It was a time full of unrest and plotting, but it was also a time of heroes. Those people who refuse to see their neighbors burned even though they prayed to the same god. Some neighbors informed on each other yes, but many saved their friends at great risk to themselves and their own families. _

_Stories like that gave Merlin hope that the king was in this generation somewhere. It was a common thread among his reincarnations. They may have slightly different hair, strangely colored eyes and the men were not all 'fighting fit' as Arthur had called it, but they were all fighters. Not the bloodthirsty kind that lived for the kill, but the kind of fighter who fought for a cause. They were all heroes in their own light, his famous courage always lived in the veins of his newest body. None grew as famous as the king, the time for that had past, but each embodiment of the Bear was deserving of that name and upheld the honor that had made Camelot a legend still sung about in this age._

_Merlin's network of spies rivaled that of the monarchy now, not a cult as Mordred's few remaining followers still were, but his network knew of him and of his strange mission. It helped that although Arthur changed form in every incarnation, Merlin remained the same. It was eerie perhaps, constantly seeing himself growing as an identical child into an identical man. Some small changes occurred as was the natural order of things, scars were never the same and his hair changed with the fashion, but anyone who had known the Merlin of old, would easily pick him out in a crowd. This allowed him to maintain his helpers, those at least that could deal with his sudden reappearance years after his death, in a child's body. The spies were getting better, the few who remained with him. _

_They found Arthur young this time, not yet twenty years of age. Merlin was a tad ahead of him, older than the king by a few years this time. This Arthur had already made a name for himself, shuttling heretics out of the kingdom under the noses of the Queen's men. Before Merlin could get to him, to be at his side as his protector once again the man was caught. Betrayed by one of his own to those whose job it was to sniff out heretics his sentence was swift and deadly. The warlock raced to the village his spies had gotten the name of, wearing out three horses in his mad rush to make it in time to save his king._

_But he was too late. The pyre had been lit and as he crested the hill, the man who would be king's anguished screams rang out in his ears. Too far away to be seen as anything but an anonymous rider on a horse, the warlock's sobs burst out of him. He had seen up close the death of those Uther burned at the stake and he knew the pain would be unbearable. Desperate to do anything to ease the suffering of his king he stretched out a hand and uttered a phrase that would stop his friend's heart. The moment the man's eyes closed a final time, Merlin turned his horse around and rode into the forest. He screamed his rage at the inhabitants of Avalon, disbelieving that they would allow him to get so close when the only way to help his king was to quicken his death in such a way. He yelled until his voice grew hoarse and the tears stopped flowing. Anger at his failure ripped at his gut as he lay in the forest waiting for some reason to get up again, something to show him that there was hope. _

_\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\_

That had been a dark time, even for him. His grief had paralyzed him and it was many generations before he even tried to look for the king again. He could not bear to continue the search when all that waited at the end was more regret and pain. It took ages before Merlin was willing to enter the world again. It took time to rebuild the network he had created before, and even longer to learn to navigate the new world that seemed to have jumped ahead in the time he was away. He knew that he needed something to convince himself this world was worth saving, and his work as a nurse in a military hospital gave him some small hope. Yes, it was terrible to see the young men in such terrible conditions, but he also got to hear the stories of matchless bravery that they carried with him. Those stories reminded him of the knights of old and kept him holding on to what had become a very tenuous grip on reality.

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

_He was a surgeon in the hospital, and a damn good one at that. The position was his way of honoring Gaius, though the old man would probably laugh at the thought that the clumsy boy had grown into a sure-handed surgeon. He was good at it and he was a good teacher. Countless lifetimes later, Merlin was still that castle servant at heart and his high standing at the hospital was a bit of a wonder to him. He was glad for it, it was a good job and it allowed him to keep an eye on the armed forces. He had not felt the twinge of Arthur in a while and that surprised him. Times of war more than anything else seemed to herald another incarnation of the king. He refused to believe he had run out of chances, he had to believe Arthur was still out there somewhere or he would fall back into the deep depression that had haunted him for centuries._

_Months into a war that some feared would never end he had the opportunity to go to a field hospital closer to the front lines. He felt a strange pull in the pit of his stomach when the head of the hospital asked him and Merlin took that as a sign this was one step closer to this life's Arthur. He accepted and was thrown into one of the bloodiest times in his memory, which with the lives he had lived was truly saying something. Patients came to him in shreds, ripped apart by enemy fire until they were barely recognizable as men. He waded through blood day in and day out, still feeling the tug in his gut that said this was where he needed to be. Growing numb to the pain around him Merlin fought to feel something, raging against the war that was claiming so many young lives even as he sewed them up and sent them back to the front. _

_As painful as the carnage was, he was a witness to the courage and bravery of the men around him. Stories of comrades running through heavy fire to pull back friends into trenches, or tales of rescues that breached enemy lines were everywhere. Merlin kept a keen ear on the storytellers, waiting for the mention of the blue eyed, blond haired hero he was searching for. It came one day, from a man lying on his table. They were running low on anesthesia and had taken to only knocking out the most severely wounded. The others, unfortunately, had only local numbing agents and sheets to block out the fact someone was cutting on their flesh. Merlin found that talking to them while he worked was in no way a distraction for him and kept their minds off what he was doing. _

_Adam was the young man on his table's name. A nasty gash that almost completely separated the man's calf muscle caused by flying shrapnel in one leg and a bullet hole in the opposite thigh had rendered him unable to walk. As the surgeon sewed him up the young man told of how when his injuries hobbled him he was still fifty feet from the trench, a distance equivalent to a thousand miles for the crippled soldier. As Adam described his commanding officer's daring rescue of his wounded man, Merlin's heart clenched and then leapt for joy. His captain's name was Arthur, not always the case in his reincarnations, blond hair, blue eyes and stubborn as a mule. The warlock tried not to chuckle at the description of his stubbornness, as the fire burned bright in the back of his mind, awoken at the man's description to confirm what Merlin already knew, Arthur was here and at last close and alive. The surgeon had to stop himself from rushing, the man who told him that the captain was here in the hospital deserved his best care. _

_After he finished stitching the young soldier up, he informed the nurse he needed to see someone and was taking a break. Rushing to the stairs Merlin could barely contain the glee that was threatening to burst forth rather inappropriately. On the landing ten steps away from the level he _knew _Arthur was on, Merlin's heart dropped out of him. The fire had ceased to burn as quickly as it had flared to life barely a half hour before. Disbelieving that he had once more gotten so close only to lose his king again he burst into the operating room._

_But he was too late. His eyes immediately were drawn to the second bed in, a mop of blond haired stained a rusty red showed at the top of a freshly covered corpse. Ignoring the stares he stalked to the gurney and tentatively, fearfully drew the sheet back. Tears blurred his vision as he saw the face of his friend and lord staring back up at him. The visage was as close to the original as he had ever seen it and that tore at Merlin's heart. Mumbling some nonsense about how the man was an old school chum, the surgeon raced outside to vomit in some bushes. Was his friend's near identical appearance to the dead king a sign that this was supposed to be the time they found each other? If Arthur had been on his table would he have survived? Too tired to rage at the immortals of Avalon he turned his anger inward. He was becoming too lazy in his quest, jobs and lives getting in the way of what used to be an all-consuming quest for his king. __That line of thought was quickly abandoned as a nurse he often worked with hesitantly peeked her head out the outer door. He was known to be unshakeable and he could not imagine how his reaction had gone over with his colleagues. Her hopeful face and gentle words reminding him he was needed, made him guilty for his previous thoughts of abandoning this life. Yes, Arthur trumped everything, but just as much as Merlin wanted to find Arthur still worthy of his crown, he himself needed to stay true to who he was and so he could never turn his back on the world for as long as he was needed. Assuring the nurse he would be right in, he turned back to look at the stars one more time. Renewing his vow to find his king and restore Camelot he headed back inside to continue the fight in this life, even as his hope at ever being able to accomplish his task waned._

_\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\_

It was not always a close call. Merlin was not sure which was worse, being seconds away as Arthur lost his grip on life, or knowing that he failed to even find the king this time around. He never wished to see the last seconds of his friend's life, often Arthur's death was violent, a reminder of his first death by Mordred's hand. However, even when he was too late to save the king, he could often ease his passing and knowing he helped even a little bit, gave him comfort in his grief. Sometimes though, he only knew of Arthur's death after it had happened, and the unknown details of the moments surrounding the king's death haunted his nightmares as much as the face of the dead monarch that was seemingly imprinted on the back of eyelids.

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

_It was a quiet day when Merlin found out. A businessman in this lifetime, he had his calm days, in between the blitzkrieg attacks on London, life went on as much as possible. It was a true testament to the stoic nature of the British people that they carried on, stepping over the rubble from the destruction of last bombs on their way to work. It was all they could do really, in the face of uncertainty, routine offered comfort that was hard to find. _

_He was breakfasting in his nook, he loved having a nook, when he had the sudden urge for a walk. He fought it, knowing this was not a walk to find a healthy Arthur. The pit in his stomach grew, he had hoped so much that this Arthur still lived, the embers in the back of his mind emitting no flames but not extinguished either. It was too much to hope for, that this Arthur was escaped the war. He was not sure he would even want to find an Arthur that would sit out when his country needed him. Sure his king was enlisted somewhere, he always scanned this list of wounded posted around the city, hoping he would spot a name on this list rather than the much longer casualty list. This time, as his feet pointed themselves to the closest lists, he knew which one the name he sought would be on. _

_Dragging his feet he finally stood before the list, his eyes closed in a childish attempt to delay the inevitable. Opening his eyes on a sigh, he scanned the list until a name popped out at him. He had been a member of the Royal Air Force, an officer unsurprisingly, decorated as well. Merlin was shocked at how numb he was to the name, reading it over and over, it's similarity to the original's mocking him. Arthur P. Drackon. He wondered idly what the P. stood for before shaking his head. Killed in combat, they couldn't afford many details, the lists were long enough as it was. The man's hand shook as he tried to block out images of burning planes and their pilots trapped within and unable to escape the flames. He could not bear to think that had been Arthur's final moments, having saved him from the flames once before, he did not wish that fate on anyone. _

_The numbness stayed with Merlin all day, his eyes glassy with unshed grief. People skirted around him on the streets, as if unwillingly to get too close to the despondent man. Even the sirens that warned of an air raid could not shake the frozen man. He wandered, evading the guards out to get everyone under cover. The bombs started and all Merlin did was look to the sky, the planes were eerily reminiscent of the Great Dragon's attack on Camelot and it was that memory finally tore a sob from his lips. Collapsing to his knees, the warlock grieved the thousand losses that single name represented. Hearing the whine of a bomb Merlin could not even be bothered to raise his head and so another life ended, his dying breath a plea for clemency from Avalon, a plea for hope in the next life, hope that would be a balm on his withered and weary soul. _

_\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\_

His magic had faded, as Avalon had warned. It was not completely gone, but more like a lit candle than the raging forest fire it had once been. What stayed the same was the burning embers in the back of his mind that flared whenever Arthur's newest form was close. This was what kept Merlin warm and shielded him from the dark memories that seemed innumerable to the weary warlock. It had been so long, he had lost so much and the cold, lonely rest Avalon promised had grown more desirable. Whenever the thought of the sweet sleep of oblivion grew too tempting Merlin reminded himself of all that Arthur had done for him. His king and his friend had sacrificed his life, a royal life for his servant's far too often for Merlin to give up now. He comforted himself that Arthur would do the same for him, would brave generations and enemies unimaginable to the original duo to be reunited with the other man, two sides of the same coin, forever. The worst lives then, were the ones, not where Arthur died painfully or violently, but the ones where Arthur truly lived, happily ignorant of the pain his friend endured.

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

_Merlin was middle-aged, a rare enough phenomenon for him. Rarely purposefully, his life often ended once Arthur's did, and they both had not made it past thirty in a long time. This life had been a quiet one, Merlin was a curator at a museum, having decided to try college once again and glad that his hacking skills made it easier and easier to erase information from previous incarnations. He rarely went by Merlin nowadays, the legend of Camelot still existed in a bastardized form, though he stopped trying to correct people when he ended up in a loony bin after pointing out several fallacies from first-hand memory. He was Mark now, but he looked exactly like he had during all of his lifetimes and photos were becoming annoyingly prevalent. He avoided them whenever possible but bureaucratic nuisances were something he simply had to accept to live in modern society. So he learned computers and how to use them to make sure no one ever connected the dots, different identities were common even among upstanding citizens but he had a close call when an old photo of himself from WWII surfaced. Aliases he could explain away, but looking identical to someone from thirty years ago was hard to get around._

_It was while he was gathering the location of the photograph to destroy it that he came across Arthur's newest incarnation. He was exactly as Merlin had imagined the king might look if he had survived Mordred's terror. His features still strong in middle age, a kinder version of Uther with the same blue eyes and the Pendragon genetics strongly visible thousands of generations later. Merlin drank in the likeness of his king, wanting to memorize his face all over again, his friend was alive and well and this time they could be reunited. The Bear would awaken and Camelot would be restored to it's former glory. Catching himself before he got too carried away Merlin read the article the picture was from and frowned unconsciously. _

_The man was definitely Arthur, a business man and philanthropist, friend to all. His many good deeds were celebrated in the article which discussed a large donation to the museum's medieval exhibit. It was very Arthur, Merlin knew, and not what caused his frown. The last paragraph was the culprit, delving into the man's personal life._

_It said he was happily married and the father of three. A smaller picture inset into the text showing him smiling with an arm around a woman very similar in features to the Gwen of old; Merlin never had asked the people of Avalon if their gift of rebirth extended to others, his mind had been so focused on the king. Rereading the paragraph his frown deepened. Arthur's children ranged from 15-7 and apparently adored him. They too were pictured, smaller, perfect hybrids of his wife's obvious grace and his chiseled features. The reporter had loved the family, the glowing words in the end of the article making that apparent. _

_Merlin was almost gasping as he reread the paragraph for a third time. It felt as if a metal band had constricted his lungs and was preventing him from drawing breath. It should not hurt this badly, his friend being happy, but oh how the obvious joy on his king's face cut at his heart. He would never regret Arthur's happiness, it had allowed him to bypass the early death so prevalent among his incarnations but Merlin felt abandoned. He knew it was silly, Arthur had no idea who he was, could not know of his friend's endless quest to reunite the two, but that did not mean it did not hurt to know that what he had worked so hard for was not needed now._

_The man scanned the article again, desperate to find the detail he had glanced over before. There it was, an announcement of a picnic open to the public to unveil another of the man's charitable works, a play area for children at a local park. It was happening even as Merlin was stuck at his computer in his lonely flat. Ripping off a scrap of paper the dark haired man frantically scribbled the address, his hand shaking so badly he had to scratch out a few words and rewrite them legibly this time. A quick detour to his closet to grab a coat and Merlin was out the door._

_He heard the picnic before he saw it, laughter and children's happy screams as they raced around the new equipment hit his ears just as the smell of the food made his mouth water. He tried to relax his face into anything other than a frown as he came up to the picnic, trying to look as though he belonged, if only they knew how much he really did belong at Arthur's side. He fingered the two headed coin in his pocket that he had picked up as an inside joke with himself, yes he is pathetic, at a curio shop a few years back. His memories were not as sharp as they used to be, although much sharper than they had the right to be after so many lifetimes but he still vividly recalls the two forces in his life who had both mentioned him and Arthur as two sides of a coin. _

_Shaking his head to clear away the bittersweet memory of his mother, he scanned the crowd, zeroing in when he saw photographers. Skirting the edges of the crowd he came to rest beside a large tree that he patted fondly as it reminded him of the forests of old. He was so easily distracted today and he knew it was because he was in denial about the choice he was going to have to make. _

_A laugh rang out over the sounds of children playing and Merlin's head whipped towards the sound. A true laugh from Arthur had been a gift indeed, even during the golden days of Camelot, he too often bridled himself from such pleasures, believing foolishly that it was not proper conduct for a king to guffaw at a friend's joke. Tears sprang into Merlin's eyes to see his friend so happy and alive in the rare light of a sunny day. _

_A chill down the warlock's spine alerted him to the arrival of the decision point. He could go forward, it was obvious from the other strangers who wandered the man's way that this Arthur welcomed chit chat from those he did not know, or he could stay away. He knew what choice he wanted to make, he wanted to end his quest now, the goal within reach for the first time in so long. They could reunite, Arthur would awaken to his true self and Camelot would return in all her glory. His wife might even be the embodiment of Gwen, Merlin could not resist the temptation of imagining the reunion with his fellow servant. _

_But he was too late. Merlin was not the idiot the prince, and later king had always claimed him to be, though the later times were clearly in jest both men knew how valuable the warlock advisor had become to the ruler of Camelot. He knew that if this Arthur awoke his life would shatter, especially if the wife's similarity to Gwen was coincidental there was no way she would understand, or likely believe the man's destiny. If Arthur claimed his heritage now, he would most probably lose his wife and children, people would call him mad understandably enough but no less daunting to a spouse and children who's husband and father suddenly called himself a king of old. The only other option was to walk away, Merlin would have to move as well, knowing Arthur was so close and yet so completely out of reach would tear him apart. As he reached his decision and moved to leave he must have caught the man's eye. Fearful that any interaction would awaken the man he had just decided to let lie, Merlin used his magic for the first time in several lifetimes and thanked the Old Religion that it worked to cloak him from the blond man's sight. Now that he could observe unnoticed, Merlin tortured himself by watching the man who would have been king blink with confusion before turning to catch his child as the little one launched herself at him. The loving family reunited for a few more pictures and their happiness at once cut and soothed the warlock. Unable to watch any longer for fear it would break his resolve the man turned and walked away from his destiny, glad for once that he knew another chance would come in another lifetime and content to let this Arthur live, as so many others had never gotten the chance to._

AN: yeah angsty :( this note is mostly to say that I have no idea if they posted casualty lists during the war in London but it suited my purpose so sorry if that historical inaccuracy deeply offends you. In case it was confusing, the normal font was a Merlin in each of the times in between the sections of this chapter while the _italics_ are his memories of specific incarnations.


	2. and the One Time He Wasn't

**Author's Note: **Ha almost put Arthur's note :P Anyways, this part is definitely a 180º shift in mood from the first part. It's a tad angsty in parts, but overall this deserves a cavity warning and could most likely be considered fluff (oh jeez I wrote fluff.) Oh and if you have slash goggles on this could definitely be seen as pre-slash, but not anything really big there if you don't slash.

**Spoilers: **Quick mentions of characters/events from the second and third series so pretty much all episodes.

**Disclaimer:** again, not mine.

**... and the One Time He Wasn't**

Merlin bemoaned the fact that he must always start out his new lives as a child. He often drove whatever parents he had been born to mad, as their babe knew far too much too early. It was morbid but he liked the times he awoke to a life where he had already been abandoned by his parents and was content to live self-contained in an orphan's home until he reached the, in his opinion, stupidly high age of majority in these times. This unfettered life gave him the opportunities to re-hone the skills that were necessary to start his search anew each time. The older art of pick-pocketing still required as much practice as his new love of computer hacking. He always tried to erase his previous electronic existence before he became a legal adult, it saved hassle. Another helpful thing about the newer lives was that maybe it was the magic, or maybe it was the people of Avalon themselves, but he recently started to sync up with Arthur in their reincarnations. Their ages became truer reflections of the scant years that had been between them while alive and this made it easier to find the wayward king.

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

**Merlin**

_Merlin had decided to relax this incarnation, maybe it was the still fresh pain of Arthur's happy life without him or maybe his laziness rearing it's head again but he wanted a life off. He started this frivolous incarnation by reverting to his old name, bullies be damned. He was Merlin Gaius Emrys this time around, in a nod to his mentor as well as a blatant attempt to hold onto who he truly was. Yeah, he generally went by MG, but that just saved explaining how he got the name (gave it to himself when he showed up at the police station at four years old, hungry and annoyed at being stuck out in the rain.) He went to university again, pissing off the professors by knowing so many things they didn't, but really, it was his sixth or seventh time through and even though a literature major was new, there was bound to be some repeating classes. Celebrating the short-lived freedom from the never-ending hunt for Arthur, Merlin became a somewhat well known author of medieval fantasy novels under the alias M. Emerson. Fame had to be curtailed and he never allowed pictures of himself to be published on his books, that would be impossible to get rid of in his next life. He wondered when he started assuming that he would fail this time around, that he would have a next life, but shook it off with the admonishment that this was his life to relax and be happy. And he was, on the surface at least, it was hard to ignore the burning embers in his head that told him Arthur was indeed in this time but he was unwilling to face possible rejection again, even as he knew it was his choice to allow his friend to live out the last incarnation, happy and with a beautiful family. So, for the first time in a very long time, Merlin stopped searching for Arthur and simply lived._

**Maybe this threw off a centuries old balance, maybe the residents of Avalon learned the concept of mercy, but Merlin's cessation of the search for one lifetime caused a shift he could never have imagined.**

_**Arthur**_

_Arthur Pendragon, yes, that was his name; yes, it was after that old myth; and yes, that's why he named his company The Camelot Agency, was a restless young man. At twenty-seven he was already co-director of the company he had founded with his stepsister Morgana, and their stable of agents presided over everything from actors and authors to stuntmen and models. His top talent agents, besides himself and Morgana of course, were a married couple and his closest friends, Gwen and LJ, whose real name was Lancelot but that was just taking things too far in Arthur's opinion, who the hell named their kid Lancelot? He was well aware of the endless jokes surrounding the suspiciously sounding names of him and his friends and the fact a rival company's CEO was Mordred Denton at times made him wonder if there was something to it. He always laughed at himself when these thoughts surfaced, but he couldn't help wondering. _

_When he got a little tipsy and started believing the coincidence meant more than the fact their parents all hated them, he reminded himself that if there was some mystical force behind their names, there would be a Merlin. After all, he had always thought Merlin was just as important as Arthur in the legends, in a literature class he had written a paper about the famous ruler and his warlock advisor entitled "Two Sides of the Same Coin" that had garnered him an A in what he fondly remembered as a favorite class. Anyway, just because their names were similar and they were all friends, well he and Morgana weren't _exactly_ friends, and that he and Gwen had kind of had a thing in uni didn't mean anything. Morgana and he weren't sworn enemies and while they sniped at each other, they were very protective of their sibling when outside forces tried to attack. Also, Gwen never cheated on him, having ended their relationship a month before she met the other man, it had hurt when she had ended it yeah but seeing her so happy with LJ meant he could never be angry at his oldest friend. _

_It was absurd to think some coincidental names meant anything and it was his and Morgana's choice to play off it by naming the newborn company after the legendary kingdom. That had been a mere five years ago, he had just graduated from university and Morgana was already a few years into a successful career as a talent agent. In the last few years their company had expanded more than they could have foreseen. _

_Even with almost everything he could every imagine within reach, he could still never shake the feeling that something was missing, although he had no idea what. Laughing at his craziness he headed down to the gym in his giant home. He knew it was too big for him but he liked wandering the halls at night, like castles of old it was silent except for the odd sounds that buildings were wont to make as they settled and he loved those noises. Going to a closet in the side of the gym he pulled out his favorite workout gear, few people knew about the man's normal gym routine simply because he knew it would lead to even more ridicule. The shining sword in his hand was heavy and sharp, knights of old would be jealous of the superior blade and he loved the sound it made swinging through the air as he began a practice drill. What had begun as a silly break from his normal workout when LJ got a stuntmen client who was a champion with the sword and eager to impress his new agent's boss by showing him the ropes, had become a serious love affair with the ancient weapon. _

_Finishing the practice drill with a grunt he turned toward the door. He had heard someone come in during his warmup, but knew that anyone who managed to make it to the gym would be wise enough to wait until he was ready to acknowledge them. Morgana called him his royal highness when he voiced such thoughts but really it was only polite to wait until he was done swinging a live weapon around to bother him with the details of the day. He broke into a grin when he saw it was LJ with his trainer, the stuntmen who had originally taught them both to fight, Gawain. Another old name, but at least his parents had the excuse it was his great grandfather's name or something like that. _

"_Ready for a bout milord?" Gawain thought their names' similarity to the characters in the legend was hilarious and loved annoying Arthur by referring to him with royal titles. Arthur would never admit that when his friend did this he felt a sense of rightness deep down, he thought even patient Gwen would scoff at how arrogant that made him sound, because he could never describe it properly. It wasn't arrogance, it was familiarity. Shaking off those thoughts again, Arthur responded enthusiastically and hoped the workout would drive those ridiculous ideas out of his head. _

_Later, with hair still damp from his post-workout shower he sauntered into the agency conference room chatting with his stepsister as they took seats with the others at the conference table. It was round but that was another thing no one joked about, it was supposed to have been oval but an incorrect delivery slip had brought it and Arthur found he couldn't send it back once he saw it and felt that strange jolt of rightness deep in his gut. He really should get his head checked out one of these days. _

_The group which included the two directors; Gwen; LJ; Leon, Head of Security; and Gregory, in charge of all paperwork and records for the company, settled in to discuss the business of the day._

_Leon spoke first, "George is finishing up the last of the yearly physicals for all clients, he says they should be done sometime this afternoon, and that he is sorry he couldn't make the meeting."_

_Small smirks made their way across everyone's faces, they knew their old friend hated these meetings, said being around so many young people made him feel all of his fifty odd years, ignoring the fact that Gregory was actually his senior by a few years. Arthur paused for the third time that morning, he alone knew that George's real name was Gaius, another medieval coincidence that George had changed out of embarrassment. He really needed to relax, he wasn't sure why today of all days he was dwelling on these silly things. He had to focus, his title as co-director was not honorary, he and Morgana both earned their keep by managing the overall business as well as their select few individual clients. _

_A secret smirk on Morgana's face made him narrow his gaze, partners or not, everyone better be wary when she was plotting._

"_So stepbrother mine, you know how you've been trying to contact that author M. Emerson whatshisface for ages now? I got word that his literary agent is retiring to have a baby or something," the quick look of disgust on Morgana's face made her view on babies clear as well as making her long time on-and-off boyfriend Leon roll his eyes. Glaring at him, she continued, "Anyway, I put out some feelers and managed to get word that he was going to be in town this week. All we need to do is set up a meeting and you can charm his pants off. Not literally, of course!"_

_Choking sounds around the room made Arthur lean back in his chair with a sigh, date a few people, men and women, and everyone thinks you're a manslut. Sitting up quickly enough to make his stepsister jump, sometimes he really was immature, he spoke._

"_One time! That was one time, and I had no idea that she was the stunt women LJ was trying to sign. She signed with us after all so I don't know what you're complaining about," muttering under his breath Arthur debated gagging his stepsister during these meetings, if only she didn't come up with some damn good ideas. "I'll get on that, I heard he had a pretty strong obsession with coffee, get me the hotel he's staying out and I'll have Aredian stake out the closest cafés. Yes, I know we don't know what he looks like but it can't hurt."_

_Gwen took a breath before jumping in, "It might, actually. We know that M. Emerson has gone to great lengths to protect his privacy, I doubt even Morgana could get his hotel information," Her quick look at her friend, reassured Gwen that comment hadn't offended the woman. "and even if she can, I don't think he would be pleased at having an investigator staking him out if the man ever found out. And Aredian is creepy, sire."_

_The sarcastic use of the royal title proved that Gwen and Morgana spent a little too much time around each other in Arthur's opinion, but he couldn't deny she was right._

"_We could always try, you know, asking the man if he would like to sign with us." Lancelot's direct to the point declaration made the rest of the team turn toward him. "If he really values his privacy wouldn't he rather know we were looking at him and were willing to give him the chance to get to know us on his terms?"_

_The co-directors looked at each other, each seeing the wisdom in LJ's statement. Nodding, they turned as one to the rest of table and spoke in unison, "That's settled," breaking off they shot the other mock glares before Arthur gestured gallantly to Morgana to continue. Her icy look was pure noble lady, "As _I _was saying, I will get into contact with his people and put the offer on the table. Any other business we need to discuss?"_

_After a few more housekeeping duties, Leon started to go over the newest updates to security, some of their talent required protection and the senior staff needed to know at all times who needed what. Leon's comments were interspaced with small hesitations and blushes and Arthur really didn't need to know that his stepsister was playing footsie with her apparently on again boyfriend during a team meeting. Leon thankfully made it through his updates quickly and the group scattered to their respective offices, mostly their _own_ offices. _

_Arthur settled into his pretty-damn-expensive ergonomically designed chair with a sigh. He was glad that besides Morgana's snide comment, no one had mentioned his overt interest in the author. He honestly could not explain it to anyone, but he had to meet this author, had to sign him to The Camelot Agency. He rubbed his forehead, frustration with this day already surfacing at a little after ten. He needed a vacation, as soon as they signed Emerson, maybe he'd get away for a little bit. God knows, he deserved a break and he knew Morgana was quite capable of managing on her own for a week or two, whether he would still have a job when he got back was another story. He chuckled to himself, his stepsister was ambitious but she loved him and would never go behind his back like that, it was just a running gag in the office as the reason he never left for any kind of vacation. _

_Concentrating on the mounds of paperwork being at the top entailed was almost impossible as he waited anxiously for news about Morgana's attempts to contact the author. She pinged him on the interoffice messaging system shortly before noon, that she had gotten the reclusive man's contact and thought her dear stepbrother would like to pen the email. Also, she was going to be out of the office for the rest of the day. As soon as he finished reading the message and the contact info she provided he saw Morgana dragging a bright red Leon out of the office, and she called him a slut!_

_Opening his mail program and filling in the contact email Morgana gave him, Arthur had to grab the edge of his desk to stop his hands from shaking. This was ridiculous! He was a mature and sophisticated, a snort in his head at that description sounded suspiciously like Morgana, he didn't, shouldn't get nervous like this. His company represented over one hundred successful people in various careers. They had other, more famous, authors, some that Arthur had brought in himself. Why did this one seem to matter so much more?_

_Ignoring the voice in his head that told him that _this _email was the single most important communication he would draft in his entire life, Arthur started with a simple greeting, introducing himself and the company and mentioning the mutual contact who had given his company the author's information. After Gwen's reminder of the paranoid nature of this client Arthur was careful to word the email as non-threateningly as possible. He felt like he was trying to coax a skittish horse to eat out of his hand, and then wondered when he ever tried to feed a horse. _

_The letter was completed, professional and informative and all Arthur had to do was send it. Something niggled at the back of his brain and before he could over think it he added a postscript and hit send. _

_Leaning back in his chair he worried that his addition was a little strange and hoped it didn't chase the author off. At peace for the first time today, and if he was to be honest, in a long time, Arthur went to grab his friends for lunch. Deciding that the sudden urge to write the final bit of the email was just his businessman's instinct and not some outside force guiding him, he smiled before informing them that lunch was his treat. If Gwen and LJ noticed his much better mood they wisely didn't mention it, until he went to restroom at lunch anyway._

"_He looks, happy. I mean... not that he wasn't before but..." Gwen's words failed her. As she and her husband looked at each other and back in the direction their friend had walked they both knew exactly what the other meant. It was as if something had always been missing from Arthur's smile and somehow that absent part was returning. _

_\\\\\\\\\\\\\_

_**Merlin**_

_MG just stared at his computer in shock. He had woken up in London for the first time in a long time, drawn by his need for a new agent now that Will, short for Willhemina, was leaving to start a family. He could never be angry with his friend, not when she was so happy, but it presented a problem. He knew his demands for privacy bordered on the ridiculous, his agent had been the only one privy to his real identity, and that it would be next to impossible to set up the same situation when he would have to interview agents to find one he could trust. He thought about using magic, but it had been so long and it was so weak he wasn't willing to risk harm to those he would need to use it on. Frustrated beyond belief, he had blindly accepted Will's invitation to London, ignoring the twinge in his gut that produced. He was taking this set of rotations around the sun off for God's sake!_

_That is until he read the email. He was sure he had to have heard about The Camelot Agency before now, he knew it seemed like he lived in a cave to most people but he did get out some. Previous knowledge or not, the email had caused a flutter in the embers in the back of his head that he'd banked at the beginning of this life. Well, not the entire email, it was professionally disinterested, eagerness was weakness in this new business world, but that postscript. He read it again:_

PS I have no idea why I feel the need to inform you that it was my strong personal desire to sign you to my company that led us to seek out your information like this, but I know that you need to know that, somehow, I can't explain why. Anyway, I hope this doesn't scare you off the agency, you would be an asset and my stepsister always mentions how easy I am to ignore if you need to.

_The fire in the back of his skull burned brighter than ever. The roaring in his ears did not subside until he clicked on the link to the company's website the co-director, Arthur Pendragon his mind screamed at him, had provided. The similarities jumped out immediately as soon as he clicked on the Staff profiles. There was Arthur, not just close to the king's original appearance, but identical. The reserved smile and clenched jaw brought tears to the warlocks eyes, he resisted the urge to stare at his friend's face and scrolled down. He almost choked when he saw Morgana's face next before the fire still dancing in the back of his mind calmed him, somehow he knew that this Morgana was not the evil woman who usurped the throne, but the witch as she was before Morgause's pernicious influence corrupted her. Getting past the momentary fear, Merlin smiled imagining the argument about whose picture would go first on the site that would have ensued if these two were anything like their original selves. He couldn't imagine they wouldn't be, not with the names and the faces matching so well._

_Scrolling down further he smiled fondly at Gwen and LJ, wondering if the L really stood for Lancelot, before breaking into a wider grin when he saw the matching last names and confirmed from the information in their short bios that they were married. It would have been weird if they were siblings in this incarnation, their passion was legendary even if none of the modern tales got it right. Arthur had sanctioned their affair after the guilt-ridden couple came on bended knee to their king and begged forgiveness for their love. That had been a strained few weeks in the castle as everyone adjusted to the fact the Queen and Arthur's most beloved knight were lovers, with royal permission. _

_Laughing when he saw the friendly face of Sir Leon in the Head of Security, his chuckles were silenced by a gasp as the face of his mentor appeared before him. Almost identical in age to the Gaius of his time this man's name was apparently George, Merlin rightly had his suspicions whether that was what his parents called him._

_It was only when he sat back in his chair that he realized tears were pouring down his face. His joy at seeing his friend's faces once more could not be contained and he shouted out loud, spinning around his hotel room like a crazy man and not caring who could walk in. Coming back to himself he dropped back into his chair and quickly typed out an agreement to meet Arthur himself for dinner tonight, he could wait no longer, double checking reservations with the concierge before sending the information back to the co-director. _

_It was going to happen tonight, he could feel it in his bones, he knew Arthur would cancel any plans he might have to be at the restaurant exactly when Merlin requested him and he knew that this was, finally, the time when they were reunited. _

_\\\\\\\\\\\\\_

_**Arthur**_

_Cursing his haste as he nursed a knuckle still sore from smacking his hand into the wall in his hurry to get dressed for the dinner tonight, Arthur was again thanking anyone who was listening that Morgana was busy with Leon tonight and wasn't here mocking his nervousness. He'd never admit to anyone that he changed his clothes more times than any girl before settling on a blood red shirt under his suit jacket. Red looked good on him, and this impression was important for reasons he couldn't even fathom. _

_Checking his pockets for the zillionth time to be sure he had his wallet and keys in the proper places he remembered how he'd almost choked on the water he'd been drinking when his email alerted him to the arrival of a response to his message to M. Emerson. He refused to see his hesitation in opening the email, as cowardice in the face of the strange postscript he'd been unable to stop himself from sending. Mentally smacking himself in the back of the head he clicked to open the missive and almost leapt out of his seat with joy when he realized the short response invited him, only him, to dinner that night at the restaurant in one of the hotels close to his home._

_He would arrive early he knew but there was no way he was going to be late to this... this moment, for lack of a better word. He knew that this was just another client but his brain couldn't convince the dragons in his stomach, little kid Arthur had hated butterflies and though dragons were an appropriate substitution, to stop flying in circles. Everything in his life had been drawing him to this night, he could feel it in his bones as he practically jogged to the waiting cab._

_**Merlin**_

_Nervously tugging on the too short, again, sleeves of his dinner jacket Merlin regretted his sentimental accessory. He was getting stares from passersby and he knew it just had to be the simple red neckerchief he was wearing in place of a tie. He couldn't help it, he was practically giddy with excitement and the piece of cloth in the back of his closet was screaming to be worn tonight of all nights. When it would finally be recognized for the first time in centuries, recognized by the king who would awaken tonight. Merlin tried to keep a reign on his nerves, thousands of past disappoints rearing their ugly heads every time he imagined the man's face before him once more._

_Shoving aside the doubts and ignoring the fact he would be early to the restaurant Merlin headed down to the lobby. Seeing that there was no rain outside, the warlock stepped out the doors to breath deeply the air that to him smelled of promise and relief from his lonely wanderings. The night was beautiful and cloudless, the moon shining proudly as if in witness to the end of this long quest._

_Merlin's heart pounded and he glanced through the throngs of people out tonight, knowing Arthur was here._

_\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\_

_**Arthur**_

_The two men's gazes met as the crowds parted between them. It was as if the masses could sense the bond between the men reforming as they stepped towards each other. The blond man's steps were long but hesitant, he was not sure exactly why he was being drawn forward to this dark haired stranger. From the other direction the black haired man's steps were quick and restrained, like he was holding himself back from sprinting towards Arhtur. _

_They met halfway, the light of the moon shining down on their evenly matched heads. Arthur was breathing heavily although he had barely walked ten steps from where the cab had dropped him in front of the hotel. Not sure how he knew but willing to go with it, he had walked toward the man with floppy dark hair, ears a little big but endearingly so, and piercing blue eyes. It was as if he walking to his destiny and Arthur knew his life would change tonight._

_The men were close enough to reach out and touch each other but they both froze. Arthur felt as if he was prolonging the moment they had both been waiting for, the other much longer than him, though the time made little difference in the intensity of the bond that was almost visible between them. _

_Growling suddenly, Arthur lunged forward to grasp the man's forearm, his arm extending at the same time as the other man's as if they were pulled by a string towards each other. The moment their arms clasped each other's wrists, Arthur's brain exploded with memories, it was only because of Merlin's, ohdearoldfriendMerlin, grip on his arm that he didn't fall to his knees with the sheer force of his old and new lives colliding. Barely aware of his surroundings, the king, for he was a king once again, wrenched his head back in unison with his warlock, their gazes drawn upward when lightning flashed across a cloudless sky. _

_The Bear had awoken, and Camelot would reign again. Panting with exertion, hey remembering a life he lived eons ago wasn't exactly a walk in the park, Arthur looked at his friend and saw the weariness in his eyes. He knew like it had been whispered in his ear that this was not the first new lifetime he had lived, he knew that Merlin had been searching for him across the ages and had only now found his liege. There was time for that later, though Arthur felt it like a blow to his gut that his warlock had been forced to travel through the endless years alone in search of him, now he simply grabbed his dear friend into a bear hug tugging gently on the neckerchief with long suffering affection for the strange accessory. Ignoring his frantically beeping phone, he surmised that his close friends had regained their memories along with him, he buried his head into his old friend's shoulder, comforting the man who had been unable to hold back his emotions at finally reconnecting after so many close calls and tragic losses. Unable to articulate his deep gratitude for a man who was willing to live centuries in search of him, he managed only one word, but it was enough._

"_Merlin."_

_Fin._

AN: Complete for now, but I may branch off this part into a series (new stories, not more chapters here) now that Arthur, Merlin and the gang remember each other!


End file.
